South Africa's Constitutional court is now hearing a case on whether President Jacob Zuma should pay back some of the millions of dollars of taxpayers money spent on refurbishing his private home.
It is also being asked by two opposition parties to rule on the independence of the public protector, after her report into the matter was ignored by parliament.
Although the president announced last week that he was prepared to pay a contribution, this is being seen by his political opponents as too little too late.
More than $23m (£15m) of upgrades, including a swimming pool, animal pen and amphitheatre, were undertaken at the taxpayers expense in a saga which is widely considered a national embarrassment.
An inquiry by an independent watchdog, the public protector, in 2014 concluded Mr Zuma had benefited unduly and should pay a reasonable amount back, but until last week that demand has been ignored.
Although the president himself has been cleared by the police of any wrongdoing, the case before the Constitutional Court is as much about the role of parliament in holding the executive to account as it is about skewed priorities and cronyism.
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